Kuwait eyes travel ban for 100,000 debtors

Nearly 100,000 people in Kuwait could face travel bans for failure to pay state fines.

Nearly 100,000 people in Kuwait could face travel bans for failure to pay state fines, it was reported.

The ban, due to come into effect January 2, is part of a Kuwait-wide plan to recover KWD12m (US$42.6m) owed in unpaid fines, the Justice Ministry said in comments published by Kuwait Times.

Debtors will be automatically blacklisted from next year after which authorities will suspend the individuals’ transactions with all service-related ministries, said the newspaper. The final stage will include a subpoena and a possible six-month jail sentence, said Mohammad Al-Duaij.

The travel ban will be effective 90 days after the court order is issued and will be only be lifted once the fee has been paid in full.

The ban can only be lifted on payment of pending dues or permission granted for humanitarian reasons, said Al-Duaij.